Flexible gripper member for needle looms



Febf20, 1940. J. GABLER FLEXIBLE GRIPPER MEMBER `FOR NEEDLE LOOMS A' Filed May 1,6, 1938' gvyue/wtob dof/AMV ABLE/L, DEM/maar 50PM/E Gael-En, 501.5 HEM Mom urli/fill!!! J. a K fn. 4

Patented Feb. 20, 1940 UNITED STATES FLEXIBLE GRIPPER MEMBER FOR LOOMS Johann Gabler, deceased, late of Ettlingen, Germany, by Sophie Gabler, sole heir, Ettlingen, Germany, assignor to F. C. Huyck & Sons, Rensselaer, N, Y., a, corporation of New York Application May 16, 1938, Serial No. 208,302

v claims. (c1. l13s- 123) This invention pertains to that type of weaving apparatus known as a needle loom. In this type of looms the weft thread is inserted by means of grippers moving toward and from each other,

' and operating to transfer the weft thread from one to the other, in the shape of a loop at a position adjacent the middle of the shed. This meth-'- od of weft insertion requires that the weft l threads should be always as nearly as possible of 10'4 equal length, so that after the insertion is completed the' ends of the weft threads do not materially project beyond the outer warp threads and' hence beyond the actual selvage. Equally long weft threads at the insertion are obtained, however, only when every kind of play in the actual inserting mechanism is reduced to a minimum. In narrow looms this is` sunciently obtained byusing tappets which are so shaped that the insertion' into the shedvof the rigid gripper is so timed as .to occur at the desired moment. 'I'he same applies to the moment of the transfer of the'weft thread and the'moment at which the gripper leaves the shed. In wide looms this insertion mechanism cannot be used, because operating mechanism for the rigid grippers em-v ployed for the insertion of the weft thread would require an exceedingly large increase ofthe total width of the space required forthe 100m, which at every increase in the width of the web would amount to twice the extent of this increase.' Also,

the use of tappets for such widely extending mo tions of the grippers would lead to insuperable complications, making the employment of this mechanism impracticable.

One of the objects of the present invention is I to provide means for practical operation of looms of the type mentioned but so constructed and arranged asjto avoid the necessity of excessive loom width, by substitutingband grippers for the usual -fform of gripper arms now in general use. A further object' is to provide simple and effective means for actuating the band grippers, said actuating mechanism being operable within'a'minimum ,space n .The invention will be hereinafter fully' set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section and with parts broken away illustrating a loom with band gripper mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention. `Figure 2 is a front view with parts shown in section.

Referring to the drawing, I indicates the slay or reed having arms II secured to a rock shaft I2 mounted in the frame I3. Inasmuch` as it is unnecessary to illustrate the entire loom, only one of saidarms I| is shown, it being understood that the slay or reed is of any desired or usual construction well known'in the art.

Mounted on theslayor reed I 0 is a shaft I4 which movably supports a guide block I 5, through which extends the rack portion I I5 on a rod I'I, the lower end of which is connected to a crank arm I8.mounted on a shaft I9 rotatably supported in the loom frame 20. The shaft'IS isrotated by power applied to a pinion 2| driven vby suitable gearing including gears 22 and 23. As shown, the shaft I4 is mounted in suitable bearing arms 25 carried by the slay or reed.

Mounted on said shaft I4, so as to rotate therewith is a pinion 27 meshing with the rackr I6. i

Said shaft I4, also carries a beveled pinion 28` Vwhich meshes with a complemental bevel pinion 29 carried by a stub shaft-30 supportedby a bracket 29 carriedby-the slay I0. The shafts I4 and 30 are supported independentlyof each otherwith their axes in approximately right angularrelation. -Said stub shaft `also circular driving disk 3|. 4'

Secured at one end of a iiexible metal band 32 is a weft-thread-gripper device 33, the other end of said band rbeing secured. to the periphery of the disk 3|. The device 33 may be in the form required Vto introduce theweft thread into.` the shed, or of the form to receive the saidthread carries a from the weftfintroducing device and to `carryy it on through the shed.- Said band l32 possesses sucient stiffness to move the gripper into and out of the shed. Also mounted on the stub shaft is a cover 34 having a peripheral flange 35 extended over and encirclingthe peripheryof the disk 3|. n I y In operation, with the various parts of the loom moving in'k the normal way, vertical reciprocatory motion is imparted to the rod Il, thereby imparting oscillations to the pinion 2|, and through saidpinion' and the'interposed gearing corresponding oscillations are imparted to the disk 3|, thereby moving the vgripper member 33 back and forthby reason 'of' the movements'of said disk. 'Ihe gearing'is so proportioned that the movements of the crank arm I8 are timed to provide the necessary accuracy ofthe in andout movements of the gripper member. As the crank arm moves rod-I1 up and down, the slay or reed will move on its pivot in'` one direction `or the other,v according to the immediate direction of movement of the rod I'I, and the guide block I4 is' so pivoted to the slay or reed that the disk and its operating parts are free to operate irrespecthat necessary where the old type gripper arm is" used. By providing a disk around which the flexible memberV is brought, the gripper member may be reciprocated in a simple manner by mechanism which avoids complications, and a very effective operating device is provided.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described an operative manner of constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or all of the forms of its use, what. is claimed is:

1. The combination with a pivotally supported slay, of a flexible gripper member so supported by the slay as to be movable into and out of the shed during weaving operations, said flexible member having a thread engaging portion, a guide member pivotally supported by said slay and movable therewith, an operating member mounted to reciprocate through said gui-de member, means for actuating said operating member, and means'associated with said operating member and movable with the slay for imparting reciprocative movements to said flexible member.

2. The combination with a pivotally supported slay, of a flexible member so supported by the slay as to `be movable into and out o-f the shed during weaving operations, said flexible member having a thread engaging portion, a shaft rotatively supported by and movable with said slay,

a guide member pivotally mounted upon said shaft, an operating member mounted to reciprocate thro-ugh said guide member, means for actuating said operating member, means operated by movement of said operating member to impart rotative movements to said shaft, and means associated with said shaft for imparting reciprocative movements to said exible member.

3.` The combination with a pivotally supported slay, of a flexible member so supported by the slay as to be movable into and out of the shed during weaving operations, said flexible member having a thread engaging portion, a shaft rotatively supported by and movable with said slay,` a guidemember pivotally supported by said shaft, a .pinion secured to and rotative with said shaft, a rack member mounted to reciprocate through said guide member and engaging said pinion, means for actuating said operating member, and

means associated with said shaft and movable with said slay for imparting reciprocative movements to the flexible member.

4. Thecombination with a pivotally supported slay, of Va flexible member so supported by the slay as to be movable into and out of the shed during weaving operations, said flexible member having a thread engaging portion, a disk rotatively supported by and movable with said slay and connected with one end of said flexible member, a guide member pivotally supported by said slay and movable therewith, an operating member mounted to reciprocate through said guide member, means for actuating said operating member, and means associated with said operating member and movable with said slay for imparting r0- tative movements to said disk.

5. The combination with a pivotally supported slay, of a flexible member so supported by the slay as to be movable into and out 0f the shed during weaving operations, said flexible member having a thread engaging portion, a disk rotatively supported by and movable with said slay and 'connected with said flexible member, a shaft rotatively mounted in and movable with said slay, a guide member pivotally supported by said shaft, an operating member mounted to reciprocate through said guide member, meansy for operating said guide member, means associated with said operating member for imparting rotative move-- ments to said shaft, andmeans operated by rotative movements of said shaft for imparting corresponding movements to said disk.

6. The combination with a pivotally supported slay,' of a flexible member so supported by the slay as to be movable into and out of the shed.

during weaving operations, said flexible member having a thread engaging portion, a stub shaft supported by and movable with said slay, a disk mounted on said stub shaft and connected with one end of said flexible member, a second shaft rotatively supported by and movable with said slay with its. axes disposed atan angle to the axes of the first mentioned shaft, a guide member pivotally supported by the second shaft, an operating member mounted to reciprocate through said guide member, means for actuating said operating member, means associated with the actuator member for rotating the second shaft, and means operated by said second shaft for imparting rotative movements to said disk.

'7. The combination with a pivotally supported slay, of a bracket supported by and movable therewith, a flexible gripper member so supported by the slay as to be mo-vableinto and out of the shed during weaving operations, said flexible member having a thread engaging portion, a shaft rotatively supported by and movable with said slay, a guide member pivotally supported by said shaft, a rack member mounted to reciprocate through said guide member, a pinion on said shaft engaging said rack member, a stub `shaft carried by said bracket, a disk rotatively supported by said stub shaft and connected with one end of said flexible member, means for reciprocating said rack member, and gearing connecting the first mentioned shaft withsaid disk in such manner that rotative movements are imparted to the disk by rotative movements of said rst mentioned shaft.

- SOPHIE GABLER, Sole Heir of Johann Gabler, Deceased. 

